Orano TN recently completed a two-year dry storage system installation and pool-to-pad campaign at the shutdown Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska, USA.
The project was completed on budget and more than two weeks ahead of schedule, Orano said.
Under a 2018 contract with Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), Orano’s scope of work included expanding Fort Calhoun's existing NUHOMS® dry storage system and performing all pool-to-pad transfer services.
Orano also conducted an extensive inspection of the emptied used fuel pool, using underwater cameras and radiation detectors to ensure that all fuel debris had been collected and loaded into the NUHOMS canisters.
The 32 NUHOMS horizontal dry storage modules were cast on site in only eight months using local providers for concrete, machine shop fabrication, and many other project services.
OPPD said the project kicked off a earnest in mid-October 2019. The team placed the final bundle into its canister on 8 May 2020 and the cask was secured in its storage module on 13 May, it added.
Orano said the team achieved an average 4-day loading cycle for each used fuel canister—one of the industry’s fastest times—and a total project dose less than the stringent target goal.
“Completing this project safely, on-time and on-budget required a true collaborative effort between OPPD and Orano TN,” said Tim Uehling, senior director, Fort Calhoun Station Decommissioning. “This major accomplishment demonstrates the care and commitment of all those involved throughout the project. OPPD’s customer-owners can be assured of the continued safe, secure storage of fuel in the robust dry storage system provided by Orano TN.”
Amir Vexler, US president of Orano TN praised the teams’ exceptional coordination, initiative, and professionalism overcame some unusual challenges, which included "flooding from the Missouri river during the training and dry run sessions in 2019, severe winter storms, and implementing pandemic safety requirements.”
With the completion of the Fort Calhoun loading campaign, Orano said it has successfully performed the most total pool offloads in the US industry, representing work at three shutdown reactors. All three offloads were completed ahead of target schedules and without regulatory issues, it added.
Photo: NUHOMS horizontal dry storage modules at Fort Calhoun (Credit: Orano TN)
